Chapter 214 - 0214

Kaelen POV

Saying those last words felt like a serrated blade being driven straight into my chest and twisted. God, why the hell did it hurt this badly? I knew, logically, that Lorelei had lived an entire life before me.

I knew there had been people, memories, and experiences I could never erase just because she was with me now. But hearing her admit that she had loved him, that she had once belonged to him, made my wolf claw violently at my ribs in a feral, jealous frenzy.

It was supposed to be me.

Me and me alone.

Darius blinked a few times, clearly processing what I’d just told him, before slowly crossing his arms over his chest. "Wait... he’s the mate?"

His words snapped me out of my spiraling rage, but only for a second.

The way he emphasized the word made something in my head click.

The?

What the hell did he mean by that?

My eyes narrowed as I lifted my gaze to him, studying his expression more carefully.

"Hold on..." I said slowly, my voice dropping into a dangerous rumble. "You knew she had someone?"

Darius’s jaw tightened. "We were extremely close before you came between us," he admitted, a trace of old bitterness slipping into his voice before he caught himself. He took a sharp breath, clearly swallowing whatever else he wanted to say, then settled for a cool, steady stare. "Of course I knew."

I didn’t give a damn about whatever lingering attachment he still had toward her or how bitter he might have been about losing her to me. I was the Alpha King.

I was better for Lorelei in every way that mattered, and I wasn’t about to waste my time worrying about how Darius felt about the woman he had once wanted.

But the fact that my own Beta had known all of this and deliberately kept it from me made my inner wolf roar with authority.

"Why didn’t you say anything?"

The question came out as a low, terrifying growl, my uninjured hand curling into a tight fist against the desk.

But Darius didn’t even flinch.

He simply met my deadly glare with a calmness that somehow made my irritation burn hotter. "I don’t recall that being part of my job description as your Beta, Alpha King."

The sheer sarcasm dripping from his voice was impossible to miss.

I scoffed, dragging my bloodied hand over my face as I leaned back in my chair. I honestly didn’t have the energy or the patience to sit here trading petty remarks with him when my head was already a complete fucking mess.

"So what else did she tell you?" I gritted out. "What did she say about him?"

"That she had a mate," Darius answered quietly. He took a few slow, deliberate steps toward the desk, his expression softening slightly as his usual sarcasm gave way to something more serious. "A mate she rejected."

But that was exactly what Lorelei had confessed to me last night too. Unfortunately, it wasn’t nearly enough.

The only reason I hadn’t pushed her for more was because of the state she’d been in.

She had been on the absolute brink of another panic attack, and I could see the terror written all over her face. I wasn’t going to push her until I broke her just to satisfy my own curiosity.

But now, I couldn’t fucking wait anymore. I needed to know everything about what had happened between them, down to every last disgusting detail.

Ineeded to know exactly what that bastard had done to her, if only so I could make him suffer through that same agony ten times over.

"Of all fucking times," I growled, digging both hands into my hair and pulling hard. "Of all times, why did that bastard have to show his pathetic face now?"

Darius leaned his hip against the edge of my desk, looking completely unbothered by the rage practically radiating off me. "He’s married. Isn’t that a good thing?"

I shot him a glare sharp enough to cut skin. "He’s married to a woman who looks exactly like my wife. How the fuck is that a good thing?"

If anything, it only proved the bastard was still attached to her.

He had simply settled for what he probably considered a safer, curse-free replacement after throwing Lorelei away. The thought alone made my blood boil. Goodness, I wanted to tear him apart with my bare hands.

"You really need to stop calling Lorelei your wife," Darius said quietly, his tone maddeningly dry. "You two aren’t married yet. Anything can happen."

At that, I slowly raised a brow, my eyes narrowing suspiciously at him. "Are you planning something?"

But Darius merely scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I told you I’d step back and respect whoever she chose. She clearly chose you. What else do you expect me to do?"

"Well, I don’t see you respecting me," I muttered under my breath. "Maybe that’s something you should start working on first."

Darius shot me a cold look. "Don’t get too ahead of yourself. Me backing off is purely a courtesy."

I had to bite back the small smirk threatening to pull at my lips because, for once, I was enjoying getting the last word in. Unfortunately, the amusement didn’t last long. The moment my thoughts returned to Jaxen, whatever satisfaction I’d felt disappeared just as quickly.

"This is why I consider you family," I said, letting my voice settle back into a more serious tone. "At least you have enough self-respect to know when to step back. But that Jaxen bastard? He’s weak, spineless, and pathetic."

Darius opened his mouth, probably ready to throw another sarcastic remark at me, when his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.

He pulled it out with a small frown, and I barely paid attention at first. But then I noticed the way his expression changed as he read the message.

Whatever annoyance had been there a second ago disappeared.

His face went completely still, and that caught my attention.

"What is it?" I asked.

Darius didn’t answer immediately. His eyes remained fixed on the screen for another second before he finally looked up at me.

"It doesn’t help that the Council suddenly seems to have an interest in him," he said.

My brows pulled together. "What?"

"I’ve had my men keeping an eye on Jaxen since the banquet. Nothing official. Just a hunch." He turned the phone slightly in his hand, his expression growing more serious. "Something about that bastard didn’t sit right with me."

A strange uneasiness settled in my chest.

"And?"

"They just checked in." Darius paused, and the look in his eyes made me already dislike whatever was coming next. "Right now, Jaxen, his wife, and her mother are staying at one of the high-tier estates on Council grounds... as honored guests."